(Mox JasperMox Jasper | Art by Steven Belledin)

DragonstormDragonstorm!

Welcome to Too-Specific Top 10, where if there isn’t a category to rank our pet card at the top of, we’ll just make one up! (Did you know that Livaan, Cultist of TiamatLivaan, Cultist of Tiamat is the only "Partner" Dragon commander that costs less than four mana?)

There's a new Mox in town, and it's terrible!

By Mox standards, that is.

Top 10 Legal Moxen

1. Chrome MoxChrome Mox
2. Mox OpalMox Opal
3. Mox DiamondMox Diamond
4. Mox AmberMox Amber
5. Paradise MantleParadise Mantle
6. Mox TantaliteMox Tantalite
7. Jeweled AmuletJeweled Amulet
8. Mox JasperMox Jasper
9. ...

Even when you expand the definition of "Mox" out to include dubious entries like Paradise MantleParadise Mantle and Jeweled AmuletJeweled Amulet, Mox JasperMox Jasper currently sits at the bottom of the rankings.

Now, that is to be expected, what with it not even being out yet--It was only spoiled two weeks ago, for goodness sake! Still, I bring it up because I don't actually see this one climbing the ranks very far.

The sweet spot for Moxen to surpass is Mox TantaliteMox Tantalite, which was considered the "bad" Mox until this month, at least. I think that Mox JasperMox Jasper will claim that ranking instead, or at least join in the nomenclature.

Still, I don't mind being wrong, and even "bad" Moxen can be powerful, so why don't we take a look at the circumstances where Mox JasperMox Jasper could be good?

Top 10 Cheap Dragons

The obvious go-to for Mox JasperMox Jasper is a deck where your commander is a Dragon, and not only that, but a Dragon you can get out quickly. So, let's start with that well, shall we?

Top 10 Cheap Dragon Commanders

1. Korlessa, Scale SingerKorlessa, Scale Singer
2. Gadrak, the Crown-ScourgeGadrak, the Crown-Scourge
3. Nadaar, Selfless PaladinNadaar, Selfless Paladin
4. Livaan, Cultist of TiamatLivaan, Cultist of Tiamat
5. ...

Okay, so less of a well and more of a puddle. With only four options to choose from, and all but one of them costing three mana, we're not really seeing a slam dunk here outside of Korlessa, Scale SingerKorlessa, Scale Singer.

With that said, if you own a deck with any of these commanders, it's safe to say you've probably windmill slammed a virtual copy of Mox JasperMox Jasper into your decklist already, as you should.

Still, that's only four decks, out of thousands of commanders. What other kinds of brews could use Mox JasperMox Jasper?

Well, not to state the obvious or anything, but... Dragon decks. The only problem? Dragons don't really start hitting until about the four mana value mark, with most of them coming in well above that.

So, the inherent question of Mox JasperMox Jasper is the same as a generically played Mox TantaliteMox Tantalite: "What good is a Mox on turn four?"

Well, I would answer that by saying it's all still pretty good at that point. If you could guarantee a Mox TantaliteMox Tantalite in every opening hand, I would argue that the card would actually be seeing cEDH play.

So, it would follow that if you could guarantee having a Dragon to turn on Mox JasperMox Jasper on turn four every game, you should be playing Mox JasperMox Jasper!

But why not be a bit greedier, huh? What if we could find a deep enough well of cheap Dragons that we could fairly reasonably expect to have a Mox JasperMox Jasper online by turn two? Now that would feel like a real Moxen! So, let's take a look and see what's out there, shall we?

Criteria: Dragons that cost two mana or less. As is tradition, all results are ordered by EDHREC score.

10. Dragon HatchlingDragon Hatchling

(2,239 Inclusions, 0% of 2,677,265 Decks)

Before the arrival of D&D's Dragonborn into Magic, what we had were Dragon WhelpDragon Whelps. Turns out, however, that four mana was even too much, so we went all the way down to the wyrmling instead.

Dragon HatchlingDragon Hatchling isn't blowing anyone's socks off, but it is a Dragon for two mana that can be a real threat in the air if you get some mana going.

9. Slumbering DragonSlumbering Dragon

(4,812 Inclusions, 0% of 2,677,265 Decks)

Slumbering DragonSlumbering Dragon is one of my favorite designs, ever. One mana for a 3/3 flier that can't attack or block, that then gets bigger every time someone attacks you until you've finally poked the Dragon enough that it wakes up as an 8/8.

This is not only a really fun mechanic, it's also a decent rattlesnake, which is not something you see in red all the time. Even better? It turns on Mox JasperMox Jasper on turn one, making me love it even more.

8. Dragonborn LooterDragonborn Looter

(5,824 Inclusions, 0% of 2,693,532 Decks)

Dragonborn LooterDragonborn Looter, on the other hand, is a bad Merfolk LooterMerfolk Looter, and always will be. As a 1/3 or a 1/4, it might at least have an argument for a reason to run it over the iconic one, but as a 1/2? Even turning on Mox JasperMox Jasper isn't enough of a reason.

7. Smoldering EggSmoldering Egg

(10,549 Inclusions, 0% of 2,677,265 Decks)

Looking at Smoldering EggSmoldering Egg through the lens of Mox JasperMox Jasper is interesting, because if there's one thing the Moxen are good at, it's feeding Storm.

And what do Spellslinger decks need? Well, put simply, Ashmouth DragonAshmouth Dragon. The problem with Smoldering EggSmoldering Egg is two-fold: One, seven counters is a lot of counters to pay off into a simple GuttersnipeGuttersnipe. Two, if you're a spellslinger deck, it's likely that you're also in blue, and Thing in the IceThing in the Ice is right there at four counters to get you an extra turn to untap and go nuts with the actual GuttersnipeGuttersnipe effect you're playing.

With that said? If you're on the Galazeth PrismariGalazeth Prismari plan, I think Mox JasperMox Jasper officially gives you a reason to play Smoldering EggSmoldering Egg for the first time.

6. Invasion of TarkirInvasion of Tarkir

(14,194 Inclusions, 1% of 2,637,875 Decks)

Is Invasion of TarkirInvasion of Tarkir actually a cheap Dragon? I would say no. In fact, I would have eliminated it from contention, only we only had 10 "Dragons" to pull from for our list with it included.

With all that said, if you're on Dragons, it's not like you're not going to play this card.

Two mana for some removal, swing in with a single Dragon, and bing bang boom, you've got an extra Dragon which ShockShocks stuff for every Dragon you attack with. Yes please!

5. Sprite DragonSprite Dragon

(19,339 Inclusions, 2% of 1,251,833 Decks)

Not every Spellslinger deck wants to go with the Aggro plan. In fact, most don't. With that said, if you are on it, you could do a lot worse than Sprite DragonSprite Dragon. A cheap, evasive, hasty flier that keeps its Prowess through turns, Sprite DragonSprite Dragon becomes a real threat quickly, and has to be dealt with.

The biggest problem, however, is that it's just one creature, and can therefore only swing at one player. So unless your Storm turn involves a few copy spells, this just isn't a good finisher.

Of course, if you are on the aggro spellslinger plan, say with a number of Dragons that care about casting noncreature spells, then this thing is going to fit into that plan wonderfully, and be one of your best options. That would be the situation where you would also pull the trigger on Mox JasperMox Jasper.

The poster child for that deck? Livaan, Cultist of TiamatLivaan, Cultist of Tiamat, paired with either Sword Coast SailorSword Coast Sailor or Feywild VisitorFeywild Visitor.

4. Reckless BarbarianReckless Barbarian

(26,335 Inclusions, 1% of 2,677,265 Decks)

There are no such niche restrictions for Reckless BarbarianReckless Barbarian. Any red deck that wants mana, which is all of them, can at least make an argument for including it.

A two-mana 2/2 that can either pay for itself immediately or have you untap with two extra mana is good, no matter how you swing it. It turning on Mox JasperMox Jasper early in a deck that would have multiple other reasons to play it is just gravy.

3. Scaled NurturerScaled Nurturer

(28,561 Inclusions, 1% of 2,562,313 Decks)

Obviously, Dragon decks are the decks you can see on the horizon via the windmill slams taking place right now when it comes to Mox JasperMox Jasper. For those still unconvinced, however, Scaled NurturerScaled Nurturer is the tilt that will probably have Dragon brewers land on it.

If you're in green and in Dragons, you've at least considered this card. While there may not have been enough reason to come down on the side of playing it before, with the added incentive of "this turns on Mox JasperMox Jasper a turn earlier", I think a lot of Dragon decks are going to end up playing both of these cards.

2. Shivan DevastatorShivan Devastator

(30,028 Inclusions, 1% of 2,677,265 Decks)

It's a Dragon. It's a Hydra. It's a Dragon Hydra! Shivan DevastatorShivan Devastator is one of those cards that you know just flew through design unchanged, and for good reason.

Timmy loves it, Jenny wants to do insane things with it, and the rest of us are just watching having a good time. All that said, there's every reason to be playing this in a Dragon deck, which means there will be every incentive to drop it for two mana, swing in for one, and play a Mox JasperMox Jasper in second main.

This all works fine for the main contender we're talking about without really talking about them. The Ur-DragonThe Ur-Dragon will be happy to go turn one Shivan DevastatorShivan Devastator into Mox JasperMox Jasper into Reckless BarbarianReckless Barbarian.

What's more interesting to me, however? The Firkraag, Cunning InstigatorFirkraag, Cunning Instigator deck that will both want a hasty Dragon, and revel in the fact that it cares about +1/+1 counters.

1. Korlessa, Scale SingerKorlessa, Scale Singer

(Helms 347 Decks, Rank #1,731; 29,700 Inclusions, 2% of 1,214,158 Decks)

Simic is not exactly your first thought when it comes to Dragons, but I think the most exciting thing about Mox JasperMox Jasper is that it might give the more "serious" Dragon folk a reason to play Korlessa, Scale SingerKorlessa, Scale Singer over Miirym, Sentinel WyrmMiirym, Sentinel Wyrm.

Looking at the top card is an extremely powerful effect, and there are 74 Dragons available in Simic without even getting into Changelings and the like. Tie all that together with an extra free mana rock to put the final bow on it, and I think you could make a pretty darn mean Korlessa deck.

In fact, I think you could make the best possible Dragon deck and leave both Miirym and The Ur-DragonThe Ur-Dragon in the dust. After all, you're in green, and you have a cheap commander that will let you "draw" card after card. That's mana and cards, which is everything you need, right?

Honorable Mentions

Of course, when we're talking Moxen, we're talking high-powered play. Which means that there's some Spikes who have been yelling at their screen this whole article about Changelings.

Top 10 Cheap "Dragons"

1. Changeling OutcastChangeling Outcast
2. Metallic MimicMetallic Mimic
3. Masked VandalMasked Vandal
4. Universal AutomatonUniversal Automaton
5. Korlessa, Scale SingerKorlessa, Scale Singer
6. Shivan DevastatorShivan Devastator
7. Scaled NurturerScaled Nurturer
8. Mothdust ChangelingMothdust Changeling
9. Reckless BarbarianReckless Barbarian
10. Unsettled MarinerUnsettled Mariner

And to be fair, they're right. I think that there are some extremely good decks out there that can find a way to abuse the various cards like this that care about creature types.

That genre isn't quite to the cEDH level yet (trust me, I've tried), but is still very doable in any of the other brackets. And landing a turn one Universal AutomatonUniversal Automaton into a Mox JasperMox Jasper into a Magda, Brazen OutlawMagda, Brazen Outlaw does seem pretty great.

With that said, that deck is difficult to pull off, and Dragons are popular. I think it's likely that where we'll mostly be seeing Mox JasperMox Jasper is in Dragon decks.

Despite the hurdle of Dragons costing a lot more on average, you're not really unhappy with this being a mana rock that probably won't turn on until turn three. Why? Well, because it's free, of course!

All that said, I think the biggest winner here is undoubtedly Korlessa, Scale SingerKorlessa, Scale Singer, who was probably being underplayed anyhow, and is now getting a great mana rock.

A single new card in the 99 will never take a deck and push it over the top, but still, this helps. In fact, let's take a look at how much this helps in the Dragon commander hierarchy, shall we?

I don't want to toot my own horn, but I think that this brew can more than go toe-to-toe with the likes of The Ur-DragonThe Ur-Dragon and Miirym, Sentinel WyrmMiirym, Sentinel Wyrm. A turn two commander that will draw you untold numbers of cards throughout the game is powerful, even if you're missing out on some of the most impressive Dragons.

As for how the deck plays, it tends to set up early and do Simic things, dumping eight mana on the board before it really gets going. This is not your typical Simic deck, however: With Dragons abounding, it's not hard to close out a game, even if there are two or three board wipes along the way.

Nuts and Bolts

There always seems to be a bit of interest in how these lists are made (this seems like a good time to stress once again that they are based on EDHREC score, NOT my personal opinion…), and people are often surprised that I’m not using any special data or .json from EDHREC, but rather just muddling my way through with some Scryfall knowledge! For your enjoyment/research, here is this week’s Scryfall search.

What Do You Think?

Hoo boy, this is a lot of Dragon cards coming out, isn't it?

And finally, what is your favorite cheap Dragon? Is there a deck you play that will be playing Mox JasperMox Jasper? Is it a Dragon deck, or have you found the secret sauce?

Let us know in the comments, and we'll see you at the table with four chromatic Dragons as table legs.

DougY

Doug has been an avid Magic player since Fallen Empires, when his older brother traded him some epic blue Homarids for all of his Islands. As for Commander, he's been playing since 2010, when he started off by making a two-player oriented G/R Land Destruction deck. Nailed it. In his spare time when he's not playing Magic, writing about Magic or doing his day job, he runs a YouTube channel or two, keeps up a College Football Computer Poll, and is attempting to gif every scene of the Star Wars prequels.